TAURUS ULTRA LITE
445-44 SPECIAL, 2" BARREL Hunters in western states as well
as those in other areas of the country of- ten carry a backup handgun with them in the field. Out where I live, snakes and whatever tend to pop up right into handgun range just about the time a rifle or shotgun has been set aside. When that happens a solid heavy caliber handgun can be a game changer toward a successful outcome of just about any given event. Taurus, the big mid-priced hand-
gun manufacturer, has again come up with a new direction in field carry hand- guns with a big 44 Special with a 2" snub nose barrel on a midsize frame with a five-shot cylinder. Built with a stainless steel barrel liner and titanium frame and cylinder, the gun weighs less than 22 ounces. With a five-round cylinder there is more than enough firepower, if all the rounds are put on target, to take care of any threat. The 44s, being big robust canisters, allow a generous load of CCI No. 10 shot snake medicine, and can pack the punch of a 200-grain H.P. bullet as well, when needed. I like almost any handgun with a number 4 in the caliber designation. Shooting FBI style targets in J 100
configurations, as built by Birchwood Casey, I was able to keep five rounds in the head/neck area at 20 yards with ease while firing offhand. The fixed sights were lined up correctly on my test gun, and shooting CCI Blazer 240-grain hollow-points, the gun maintained very positive balance even under extensive rapid fire trials. The bottom line is that I like this handgun for field carry, or even when rolling cross country on my Har- ley in the dead of night. Using a high rise pancake Galco holster that was designed for the S&W Ultra Lite 44 Magnum, the fit is close enough that it works in terms of secure carry regarding the big Taurus 44 Special. In the weight department, you just don’t feel it at your side at all. In the event you’re searching for a
midrange priced handgun ($539.00) in a titanium frame model, taking a look at the new 445-44 Special may not be the worst idea going. S&W MODEL 29
CLASSIC 44 MAGNUM On the heavy side of the handgun
subject is the old standard Smith & Wes- son Model 29 Dirty Harry classic wheel
gun. Here is a pile of iron mass set into a large “L” frame Smith that almost forever held the world title as the largest handgun caliber ever built. Even today the Model 29 Smith is still nothing to mess with, whether against a charging bear, lion, or whatever gets in your way. The basic 44 Magnum round needs
no introduction by me as it has carried a solid track record for as many years as I have been hanging around this globe. When it comes to carrying the monster afield, I lean toward a shoulder rig set high under the arm. The gun is far too big for a short guy to set into a belt rig if he does not want it dragging on the ground. This gun is as close as I get to putting a long barrel and a butt stock on the gun and calling it a rifle. No, I am not a fan of the 50 S&W or any of the 454 class wheel guns. Smith & Wesson sent a nice walnut
wood boxed Model 29 6" deep blued handgun for review a short time ago, and I was at once in love. Except for the new and not appreciated lock system on the L frame the gun was an almost to the last detail a replica of the gun that made Clint Eastwood’s character Harry Calahan famous. When I was in police work those movies were called "training films" by the local boys in blue. The Model 29 is a flexible handgun
in that it can, like other 44s, chamber both hard hitting rat and snake control loads, or go straight to the big heavy rounds when required. For service testing I selected CCI Blazer 240-grain 44 Special loads, and also a selection of three 44 Magnum rounds. While the CCIs in 44 Special were easy on the shooter, the big magnums were not at all friendly. Groups fired at 25 yards off my bench with CCI 44 Specials measured 31/2 inches, and the 44 Magnums in Remington 240-grain bullets opened to 41/8 inches. Other loads tested included Federal 240 Hydra Shok and Winchester 240 hollow-points. These loads tended to hold well inside 33/4 inches over the sandbag benchrest. Head or center mass vital body shots, all against a bear, rabid dog, or whatever would be effective. While the 44 Magnum is not a high rate of fire system, it is a real heavyweight in the “one shot, total stop” scenario when so required. As a running live fire test, I shot a
project with Smith & Wesson down in Oklahoma about a year ago in which we
dusted three-inch wood blocks at about 30 to 40 yards. Shooting the Model 29 by choice, and offered all the ammo I could send down range by the boys at Smith, I was amazed at how accurate the big gun was on small targets at that extended range. Good iron sights that are fully adjustable were a key here, as is the fact the 6" pipe sends a big chunk of lead where it belongs. MODEL 85 7.62X39 MINI MAUSER Offered by Century Arms, an
outfit that imports and also builds in America all manner of rifles to fit the 7.62x39 Russian Short (commonly named AK-47), I bit the bullet and put down my hard earned money for one of their imported super short action Mini Mausers. Made in Serbia by Zastava Arms, the short action turn bolt was chambered in 7.62x39 and as such saw a great deal of service during the sum- mer of 2012 in my local Black Hills. From paper targets to grass rats and mountain marmots, the small, lightweight Mauser performed very well as a mid-range var- mint control system. Using an “almost” Mauser action (the feed is controlled and the safety is a right side slider), the
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